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When Elephants Weep: The Emotional Lives of Animals
When Elephants Weep The Emotional Lives of Animals
Author: J. Moussaieff Masson, Susan McCarthy
Arguments that animals possess an emotional life are often dismissed as sentimental anthropomorphism. This book challenges that notion by proposing that the objective scientific evidence for human emotions is all but non-existent. Thus, if the whole of our human psychological understanding rests on reflective inferences, why are the same criteri...  more »
ISBN-13: 9781439505694
ISBN-10: 1439505691
Publication Date: 6/26/2008
Edition: Reprint
Rating:
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Book Type: Library Binding
Other Versions: Paperback, Hardcover, Audio Cassette
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reviewed When Elephants Weep: The Emotional Lives of Animals on
Helpful Score: 6
This book is a must read for and animal lover out there. The thought and insight into the minds and emotions of animals from the author leaves you pondering the wonderful question "Can animals feel much like humans?" This book is a wonderful story and documented journey of that very question.
reviewed When Elephants Weep: The Emotional Lives of Animals on + 157 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
I have mixed feelings about this book. I really appreciate that animals are getting their 'say' out there. They have feelings, memory, experience, etc. But is this book what they would actually say? Somehow I doubt this on too many levels. I kind of get the feeling from this book that bad people eat animals; but what does that make animals who eat animals? I was not convinced by the hit-over-the-head idea that eating animals is bad. I really do agree that we need to deal with them humanely. I mean, even the lion lets his food go free range and organic.
redheadindian avatar reviewed When Elephants Weep: The Emotional Lives of Animals on + 55 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
A masterpiece - the most comprehensive and compelling argument for animal sensibility ever written.
gigglebunnies avatar reviewed When Elephants Weep: The Emotional Lives of Animals on
Helpful Score: 3
This book is a very intellectual, insightful documentation of man verses science. This book unfortunately did not hold my attention and I found myself reading it in short spurts without finishing it.
serinlea avatar reviewed When Elephants Weep: The Emotional Lives of Animals on
Helpful Score: 3
As a lifelong dog lover, I agree 100% with the book's premise that animals have vivid and complex emotional lives. However, I was completely turned off in the early pages by the author's obvious disdain for those who stand behind the scientific method! I'm sure it's a wonderful book for someone not bothered by an editorial tone of that nature.
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reviewed When Elephants Weep: The Emotional Lives of Animals on + 283 more book reviews
This tells us how animals are like humans, in some ways. Very nice to think about.
reviewed When Elephants Weep: The Emotional Lives of Animals on + 177 more book reviews
This is a very in depth look at the evidence of emotions in animals. The pacing is not great--first half or so of the book is just the statement of the premise, and how the scientific establishment denies the existence of not only animal emotions but also animal suffering, because it reduces the moral implications of experimenting upon them.

The second half of the book is better and contains lots of anecdotes. However, the overall tone of the book is depressing, and one gets the sense that the person who would most benefit from receiving this information is the very person who would never pick up the book.